Trail Society
Episode 113: Redefining Pregnancy and Sport with Dr. Margie Davenport
1h 28m
In Episode 113 we sit down with Dr. Margie Davenport, Professor of Kinesiology and Director of the Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health at the University of Alberta. Margie has spent more than two decades advancing the science of exercise during pregnancy and postpartum, collaborating with organizations including FIFA, Sport Canada, ACSM, and the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. She walks us through the transformative cardiovascular, metabolic, and biomechanical adaptations that make pregnancy "the ultimate stress test," while explaining how exercise supports both maternal and fetal health.
We also dig into her recent work on long-duration training during pregnancy, postpartum return-to-run recommendations, pelvic floor considerations, and the complex intersections of REDs, mental health, breastfeeding, and musculoskeletal injury risk. Margie's research dispels longstanding misconceptions and offers evidence-based guidance for athletes who want to stay active through every stage of pregnancy and return to sport with confidence. This is an essential conversation for anyone who cares about the science of women's health and performance.
Follow Margie here: @pregnancyandexercise
Big shout out to our sponsor, rabbit, for helping us with this scholarship. If you want to snag any new colder weather run gear you can hop on over to www.runinrabbit.com and use code → FALLTRAIL10 for 10% off.
